Avon Gorge Hotel, Clifton. Stone wall rebuild and repointing works

The Avon Gorge hotel was built in 1898 originally known as the Grand Spa Hotel. It was the favourite destination of the aristocracy and rich merchant families who came to Bristol to enjoy the waters of the Royal Clifton Spa next door.

This historic hotel offers unparalleled views of Brunel’s Grade One listed Clifton Suspension Bridge, said to be one of the worlds greatest bridges.

Incastone secured the contract to rebuild and repair the stone walls below the hotel’s famous sun terrace.

Due to a couple of accidents, one involving a delivery lorry reversing into the wall and hanging precariously over the edge of the Gorge. This 4m high boundary wall required significant rebuild and re-pointing along a 35metre length.

At the outset it was agreed that traditional building methods would be employed with a mortar mix consisting of Hydraulic lime, Holme sand and stone dust. This would give us a light grey mortar finish to match existing.

Although we were able to reclaim the majority of building stone that had fallen into the lower terrace below, we required another 20 Tonnes of reclaimed Pennant stone sourced from Merthyr Tydfil.

As most of the original copings were lost through years of neglect. We had custom Bath stone coping’s manufactured locally and laid these along the wall. They finished it perfectly and matched well with the hydraulic lime mortar and surrounding stonework of the Hotel.

Incastone are intending to return to the Hotel later this year (2015)to re-point the remainder of the boundary walls.

The before photo, the wall had collapsed when a delivery lorry backed into it and hung precariously over the edge some 20 years ago. A barrier had been erected but otherwise the site was left to nature and required considerable clean up before work could commence.

We needed a stable foundation to start the rebuild so we dug out the old loose stone and mortar.

A lot of the old stone from the walls had to be dug up as it had become buried over the last 20 years or so since the wall collapsed.

The below ground level rebuild was retained with a concrete block wall and had clay weep holes placed at regular intervals.